Comments on: Survival Knife: How to Find the Perfect Blade for Your Preparedness Needs

By: Ron Terhaar

Ron Terhaar — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 23:14:09 +0000

How is a Schade 29 stack up.

By: Kacey

Kacey — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 20:37:36 +0000

I like my frost cutlery silent assassin Bowie strong knife, but the black stain is rubbing off.

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 23:37:25 +0000

When it comes to ‘Survival Knives’ the best survival knife is the one you are carrying. This brings us to Every Day Carry (EDC) knives. Most EDC knives are folders that fit in your pocket, as not many people strap on a sheathed straight blade knife every day.
The knife should have a 90-degree spine so you can scrape a ferrocerium rod and bark from a tree/branch without damaging the blade.
I have a number of single blade folders by Kershaw, Benchmade (Doug Ritter), Zero Tolerance (301 and 350), CRKT, Spyderco, and Falkniven. Folders can provide you with a readily available knife for multiple uses, but not a realistic tool for batoning through wood, where a full tang straight blade knife is the better option.
So, I carry a good folder every day, with my Leatherman Wave on my belt, and in my GHB I have a good Falkniven F1 straight blade as a backup, only to wear if needed.
Also, a knife made of high carbon steel, like 1095, is a good choice as well; which can also be used as a steel striker with flint. Yes, the carbon steel is more prone to rust, but is easier to sharpen and holds an edge well; just keep a thin coating of oil on the blade for protection. I also like the patina that the high carbon knives acquire over time.
The grind of the blade is also important to consider; a convex blade is sharpened by stropping spine to blade across fine grit (2000) sandpaper and a leather strop with black and green stropping paste. The Convex sharpening of the ‘spine to blade’ direction is just the opposite of what most people are accustomed to by sharpening in a ‘blade to spine’ direction for Scandi, Hollow, or Flat . I mention this only because the need for different sharpening tools based on the blade grind. The KnivesShipFree web site has a great series of videos for sharpening a convex blade.
Some states have limitations on the blade length, with 4 inches being acceptable almost anywhere, but a straight blade used for batoning wood is better to have at least a 5 inch blade so you do not have to baton your handle.
In my BOB, I keep a Bark River Bravo, a ZT 301, a Leatherman Wave, and a BAHCO Folding saw for my cutting tools. I also carry a KSF sharpening kit and a small coticule to keep my tools sharp.

By: Al Travis

Al Travis — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 17:11:04 +0000

I’ve had a Buckmaster 184 for years and, while it may be a bit heavy, I would definitely count on it to do any job I would call on it to do. Although it does have a hollow handle, it is very strong.
As for a multi tool, I have a Gerber model 600 that has never failed me.
I also have a Buck 870 that I carry in my pocket as an everyday knife.
I am very happy with them all.

By: Doc Law

Doc Law — Sat, 19 Oct 2013 06:45:40 +0000

I own a decent collection of fixed and folding knives. Not just for bug outp urposes but also for practical as I live in the backwoods of the Olympic peninsula, Washington state. I have a tops tom brown tracker t1, falkniven f1, tops brothers of bushcraft, cold steel kukri San mai iii, bark river bravo1, esee4, leatherman surge, Swiss army knife, crkt m16-12zer, condor golok, blind horse maverick, ka-bar Becker bk2&16 and quite a few others that ive picked up along the way but I cant put names to. Survivalism is a passion of mine and I practice often as you would do if you lived in the woods to. My lady has a ka-bar skinner and an esee3, my 2cd youngest brother(as I am the eldest) has a bear grylls survival knife that I got him for Christmas a few years back, he really wanted one don’t ask me why. My 3rd youngest brother got a Becker bk2 for his b-day earlier this year and a gerber big rock a few years back. And my youngest brother didn’t want a knife, so I got him a tomahawk.

By: Bandit

Bandit — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 14:20:52 +0000

Personally I favour a “cudeman” bush knife, made from Spanish Toledo stee, very sharp nice wide blade, sturdy and very comfortable stag horn handle, maybe a little expensive but I assure you a very worthwhile investment. Also where ever I go I take a lansky sharpening block, after making kindling, bivvy pegs ect its very handy to put a keen edge back on the knife.

By: Elise

Elise — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 19:51:20 +0000

I should definitely check out that SOG.

By: josh

josh — Mon, 13 May 2013 09:32:26 +0000

old hickory butcher

By: johnP

johnP — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 07:14:49 +0000

I was just wondering how many people actually pack and use their randall knives?

By: DuginMT

DuginMT — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 05:40:06 +0000

I like Ontario knives for serious survival and field use. I have a RAT 7 in D2 steel and a Pilot’s Survival Knife in 1095 carbon steel. The RAT 7 is my SHTF knife, and I carry a swiss army knife and a fire starter in the sheath pocket. The Pilot’s survival knife is not fancy but a great knife and sheath for around $30.00, that you won’t mind beating around with. Finally, I have several Marble’s damascus and stainless knives from Smokey Mountain Knife Works, and even though not USA made anymore they take a razor’s edge, look and handle good, are made well, and hold their edges very well for an economy knife. They come with nice leather sheaths too. Enjoy your knives!